The Beautiful Widow

by Helen Brooks

Mills & Boon Sexy series delivers what you love in contemporary romance - glamour and scandal in exotic locations…Toni George needs a job to clear the gambling debts her late husband secretly accrued. With tiny twin girls to feed, she has no choice but to accept a position with notorious heartbreaker Steel Landry.

Steel finds Toni intriguing and attractive, though he knows that she is off-limits. But she’s visibly nervous whenever he touches her -- so maybe she isn’t as immune to his potent brand of masculinity as she’d like to be?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Hqn, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin Presents

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Rita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, which at the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who would make a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep the house buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it any other way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Although having enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted to live anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday home close to the sea one day.

Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)

For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.

Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.

Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workplace romance between a smitten property developer and a interior designer heroine who is wary of men after her marriage to a (now dead) gambling addict. His death left her with huge debts and adorable twin daughters.

The hero quickly acknowledges to himself and the heroine that he is smitten and that he can't act on his impulses at work. And he doesn't. Because of these constraints the hero (and the author) have to show his regard in other ways. I enjoyed a hero who has to be inventive and tuned into the heroine as a person and not just a sex object.

As the hero meets the heroine's parents, her twins (Adorable - they talk about mean Tyler at pre-school - so accurate to four year-old girls) and her friends, he comes to understand our wounded heroine. Heroine is just as attracted and just as scared and after a day of "friendship" she breaks it off from the hero for the black moment.

He responds by having her remodel a country house to her taste. When it's done, she gives him a tour of her dream home, only to have him turn over the deed to her. He finally declares himself. HEA. There's an epilogue ten years later with their three other children - 2 boys and a girl - added to their family for a total of five. Very sweet.

This is a warm blanket of a comfort read. The hero is a wonderful protective alpha (his joy when his sister gave birth was so endearing) and I'm amazed the heroine held out for so long. This is the kind of story you can read over and over - and I probably will - and my rating will probably go up. The heroine was a bit strident and annoying in her bid for independence, but there are so many lovely minor characters that they made up for her. Honestly, this was a case of if the hero is happy, I'm happy.

And the true fantasy of this story? The renovations to a 16th century country house - with six bathrooms added and walls knocked down and materials sourced - only took two months. That includes furnishing every room. LOL

[Saly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beautiful Widow was a lovely book. Toni was in a unhappy marriage but she stayed for the sake of her twin daughters, then her husband died and she learns he had a gambling problem. Toni moved back in with her elderly parents and went to work.

Steel raised his sister, and now that she is married, he enjoys his freedom, he is a tough employer but fair and takes an interest in their well-being as well. He interviews Toni and hires her, he feels attracted to her but she has kids and lots of baggage and his employee, but very soon they share a kiss.

Steel backs off and then we learn that he is head-over-heels in love with her and has been wooing her and getting to know her for months without Toni noticing.
Toni is wary and I loved how great Steel was with her.
Lovely book.

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

What the ever living hell is it with these silk shirts? Another one. Come on. Please weigh in if you know a man, a real one, that has ever worn a silk shirt.

Steel, awesome name, falls for Toni, the damaged but lovely widow, once she comes to work as an interior designer. Her dead husband was a louse, and she has to pay off his beucoup of gambling debt so it's a good things she is a whiz at her work. She's beautiful and buttoned up.

Steel our silk-shrt wearing hero is an ex-manwhore on the prowl, but he was a courteous one so no hard feelings from his nauseatingly gorgeous exes. He is overwhelmed by Toni,and she is equally overwhelmed by him. He is now ready and willing to put his bad boy days behind him, but Toni being the neo-maxi-zoo-dweebie that she is, is afraid she's not woman enough to keep her man.

The first go around of "I'm so afraid I'm not worthy.. was understandable as she has no self-worth after her husband. He wasn't abusive, but just not there. Her upbringing was happy, in fact she lives at home so her parents can help with her twin girls. Very cute twins by the way. In fact I would have liked to see more interaction between them and the MC's as it brought out a very sweet side to the H. The twins fall for the Steel-man as hard as mommy, but are much easier to to woo to his side. The second and third and final repudiation is just ...yawn.

This would be a 2 star story due to the heroine, but Steel is just so darn yummy and alpha male in his attraction and yearning for the heroine he gets a full star just on his own.

Sex is of off screen and after the vows, but the romance and passion runs strong. It's easy to accept a passionate desire when it's expressed in sexy talk about insert tab a in slot b, but it's a tad more difficult and admirable when done with subtlety.

A well done book that would have been better a little longer and with the heroine a little less of a wet blanket.

[Lyuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story. Realist in me understands that heroes like Steel Landry are only available in fiction but the story was so swoon-worthy romantic, I couldn't help loving it. Four years of unhappy marriage taught recently widowed Toni George not to trust men again. Death of her husband not only ended the marriage but also uncovered an unpleasant truth that her husband was a gambler leaving Toni and their two little twin daughters with mounds of debt. Thanks to her supportive parents, Toni and the girls have a place to stay but she needs to find a job to start paying off the debt. Before marriage she was a successful interior designer and per friend's recommendation she was able to secure an interview with Landry Enterprises owner Steel Landry. Steel had built his property business from ground up and now,20 years later, he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. He works hard and plays hard and, until meeting Toni, doesn't know what he is missing. He is attracted to her almost right away but it takes her a long time to lose her insecurity and wariness. There was no sex in the story but rather strong sexual tension. This was a character-driven story of two people getting to know each other, slowly losing their preconceive notions of each other and falling in love. It was a very romantic story and the epilog was just an icing on a cake!

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoy books written by Helen Brooks. Whenever I finish one, I just sigh. She writes such wonderful stories about love and its power to heal the broken. This is a book about two people that have chosen to insulate themselves from love. One fears the risk of mistake, the other fears losing their freedom. Yet together neither can deny their attraction. It takes time for both to work through the issues and risk opening themselves up for heartache.

A great story, a lovely change of pace..

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Beautiful Widow" is another awesome book by HB, and the story of Toni and Steel.
Toni is a widow, needing a job to repay the debts her deadbeat husband left her with post mortem, while taking care of her beautiful 4 year old twin daughters.
She takes up the job of interior designing for Steel, wanting to provide financial security to her kids..but she finds love and happiness instead.
We have
-A hero entranced by the heroine
-He patiently waits for her to accept him instead of bombaring her with his affection
-The way he interacts with the twins is heart-warming
-Slowly paves his way into their hearts
-Selflessly sweet and devoted to her happiness
We also have a strong female lead, supportive parents and a duo of uber cute twins. Again since its a HB novel, there would be loads of pushing away and self deprication by the heroine- but the hero is persistant, and we get our HEA.
And the epilogue...AAAAaaaaa!! One of the best.
Lovely read!
Safe
4.5/5

[Luli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5- 4 stars.
Precioso cuento de hadas protagonizado por una viuda a la que la vida le ha dado más penas que alegrías y un millonario que se ha llevado media vida sacando adelante la de otros y está cansado de responsabilidades.

Decir antes que nada que lo que menos me ha gustado ha sido el aspecto millonario de la historia. Es que no puedo evitarlo… nunca consigo conectar con ellos. Lo digo porque si tú no tienes este problema probablemente te parezca una historia de 5 estrellas.

Dicho esto, la historia es especialmente romántica, sencilla y con personajes encantadores. No hay nada especial ni nuevo en ella, pero he disfrutado del romance y con eso me basta.

Tony es una viuda que quedó tan harta de su difunto marido que no quiere ver un tío ni en pintura. Sus dos gemelas y sus maravillosos padres son su vida y así es feliz… o no?

Steel (me encantó el apodo que le dieron las gemelas!) es un millonario que se ha hecho a sí mismo. Duro en los negocios y sin ningunas ganas de sentar la cabeza…o no?

El resto de la historia te la puedes imaginar. Un poquito de insta-atracción, otro poquito de inseguridad y otro poquito de perseverancia que nos llevan a un HEA de (dicho antes) cuento de hadas.


3.5- 4 stars.
A lovely fairy tale starring a beautiful widow whom life has given more pains than joys and a millionaire who has spent half his life providing for others and is tired of responsibilities.

First thing I have to tell you is that I don´t like millionaires in my romances. I can´t help myself... I can never relate with them. I say this because if you don't have this problem probably it would be a 5 stars´ story for you.

That said, the story is especially romantic, simple and has charming characters. There is nothing special or new about it, but I enjoyed the romance and that is enough for me.

Tony is a widow who was so fed up of her late husband that she doesn't stand the sight of a guy. Her two twins girls and her wonderful parents are her life and she is happy this way... or doesn´t she?

Steel (I loved the nickname the twins gave him!) is a millionaire who has made himself. He plays hard at business and haven´t a desire to settle down... or doesn´t he?

You can imagine the rest of the story: a little insta-attraction, another bit of insecurity and another bit of perseverance that lead us to a HEA (like I said above) worthy of a fairy tale.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars ~ Toni had once been confident and vivacious, and now she's desperately trying to find that woman again. She needs the job with Landry Enterprises as their in-house interior designer. Four months before she'd become a widow, and upon her husband's death discovered he'd lead a double life, the life she nothing about had amassed huge gambling debts. While she could get a lessor job easily, this one with Landry's would give her the salary she needed to support her twin daughters and enable her to pay her inherited debts. Though Toni had heard of her prospective employer's reputation as a confirmed bachelor, she'd hadn't expected her own reaction to his devastating good looks.

Steel was a man who had been enjoying his bachelor freedom, after seeing his sister married and secure. When he'd been 18, and Annie was 6, they'd lost their parents and he'd taken on the responsibility of raising her. He'd thought that he was content in his carefree lifestyle; he'd had several relationships all with the understanding that long-term commitment was not in the cards. All it took was one look at Toni, and she'd tied him up in knots. Sure he desired her, but there was so much more, and suddenly that carefree no commitment lifestyle had little appeal; he wanted Toni and her two darling daughters forever.

Ms. Brooks always pens such wonderful love stories with wounded characters that fight their inevitable HEA. Steel realizes that they've met too soon, that Toni needs time to get used to the idea of a new man in her life, and he takes it slow, giving Toni as much opportunity to get to know him as he can. When he declares that he wants to move ahead with a relationship, Toni runs scared because she knows her heart would break when he got tired of her and moved on. I loved how shaken up Steel is when he thinks he's lost all chances of a life with Toni, but he still battles on and makes one last effort to convince her that he loves her. Lovely, lovely story with a HEA epilogue as an added treat.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure, unabashed fantasy in a handsome, sexy millionaire who loves her kids, sees her and appreciates her fully, and is unwaveringly honest, faithful, supportive, and passionate all at once. Plus he has her decorate a gorgeous sixteenth century house and then hands it over to her, even though he thinks they don’t have a future. He will just rest more easily knowing she and her daughters are safe and taken care of. *swoon* Sometimes—most of the time—these scenarios are groan-worthy and annoying, but it’s all written well here, and his feelings are endearing and sincere.

Anyway, we all know it’s fiction, but damn it’s appealing.

[LLC · Rating 5 out of 5]

The h, Toni, is a 30 year old mother of 4year old twin daughters. She is recently widowed, as her husband died of a heart attack. Upon his death she found out he had a massive gambling problem and had borrowed from all their friends and family and she has a huge debt to repay. She's living with her parents and looking for a job for the first time since her marriage 4 years prior.
The H, Steele, is a rich land developer. He's very attractive and a confirmed bachelor at age 38. He raised his younger sister for 15 years, from age 18 to 33, and he has determined that he will give up his freedom for no one.
The H interviewed the h for a position of interior decorator and it is attraction at first sight for both of them, and both are determined to resist the attraction. The H decides he will seduce her, but quickly realizes that he wants more but he's wary of committment and the h doesnt trust her own judgement after her relationship with her husband.
This story is about two people growing, changing, and examining their feelings. It's not angsty, it doesn't have any hot sex scenes, altho the chemistry is there. This is a wonderful romance, what a real relationship should be, with growing, changing, evolving and loving and a wonderful HEA.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read....kind of tame.

There is a nice simmering passion just longing to explode. But that all has to wait for Toni to trust in herself and let Steel in.

Toni having been hurt in the past is so afraid to take a chance on sexy sweet Steel that she actually sends him away......shocking! Even loving him as she does isn't enough for her.

Steel had realized that she was different then his other past women and over time comes to believe in love. He goes slow trying to give her time to believe in him....and love.

Steel is just so sweet with her twins and her and also so sexy....so charming. Toni comes across as strong but as the story progresses you realize she is a chicken and so afraid that she would destory the best thing to ever happen to them.

You really wonder if they will get it together.

It was a good read but not one of the author's best.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toni George was desperate. Her late husband had left her with a mountain of gambling debts that needed to be repaid and she had two little girls to support. She needed a job. Shaking in her shoes, Toni met with Steel Landry, a rich property owner seeking an interior designer for the expensive renovations at his massive apartment building. Steel was as handsome as a hero out of her dreams, in many ways, too good to be true. Certainly too good for anyone like Toni. Amazingly, Steel hired Toni on the spot!

Over the next few months, Steel allowed Toni free rein to design the spacious apartments worthy of the very elite. Working closely on the project, they were thrown together constantly and Toni slowly began to care for her rich employer. Surprisingly, Steel genuinely seemed to like her twins, Amelia and Daisy, too. He was kind, witty and sweet. Suddenly, he didn’t seem like the rich and powerful icon she’d imagined him to be. The man beneath fascinated her, but after such a disastrous marriage, could Toni trust her feelings again?

This was a wonderfully different story. The depth of the characters overlaid the romance in a sweet web of love. From the time I spent in England, I really identified with the renovations at the cottage and with Steel’s determination that with Toni George and her two little girls, he would begin anew. Wonderfully different.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine Toni has an interview with the hero Steel for an interior design job. Toni is down on her luck after her husband died and she discovered secret debts she is now responsible for. She has had to move into her parents tiny home and rely on their help looking after her twin girls while she works. Steel offers her the job and as they get to know each other over time they both begin to have feelings for one another.

I actually found it difficult to write the above mini summary as the story is fairly simple, with no great 'drama', if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, this is an enjoyable read, but I wonder if this would be better placed in the Cherish line, it just wasn't powerful enough for the Modern line.
Like I said, it is enjoyable but the back cover blurb makes it sound fast paced and exciting and the book just doesn't deliver.

Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Very well written. The emotions were well translated. It was a great read. The story had a perfect blend of emotion and drama. All characters but the ex husband were very likable. The children and the grand parents were adorable.

[Mrs Caroline Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I found this a really good book. A great connection between Toni, Steel and the twins. A great romance for a woman whom had her heart broken by her husband. It takes Steel quite a bit of time to break down Toni's barriers but it's worth it in the end.

[Laura's Book Addiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story with a really really great ending

[RomLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nervous as a kitten whenever he comes near…

Toni George needs a job to clear the gambling debts her late husband secretly accrued. With tiny twin girls to feed, she has no choice but to accept a position with notorious heartbreaker Steel Landry. Steel is intrigued by and more than a little attracted to the beautiful Toni, though he knows that she is offlimits.

But she’s as nervous as a kitten whenever he is near – so maybe she isn’t as immune to his potent brand of masculinity as she’d like to be…?

[Oriana Peña · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estas historias me las leo volando😂

[More Books Than Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story but I couldn’t stick with it.

[Lady Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, a slightly dated and full of tropes romance featuring, you guessed it, a beautiful widow. Honestly, I feel like the relationship building needed a whole lot of work.

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. Its a break from other stories with sex scenes at every turn. ( not that I don't enjoy those as well).

[S Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart warming. Sweet love story .

[Sandie Tallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

romance at its best

I started to read this novel while I was stuck in bed due to a virus. My head ached, my nose ran and I soon forgot my sniffles because the simplicity of a beautiful love story was my focus. Steel, the hero, knew from the beginning that he had found his soul mate with the widow, Toni. Our heroine had been a widow for only 4 months and was trying to pick up the pieces of an unhappy marriage that left her with a great amount of debt. She had a quiet strength about her but the marriage had taken every bit of trust in relationships from her. Our hero recognizes this. He hires her and then patiently works to undo her trust issues by gently proving himself as a friend. This is a simple love story, no sex scenes, no drama, just an in depth look at love. It is gentle and I loved it ( and I usually like the sex scenes). This book was perfect on a day where I felt miserable. It made me feel better!

[Clint Griffon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni is a broke and desperate mother of two young girls; Steel a restless property developer with a sequence of temporary girlfriends. When he employs Toni to design interiors for his properties, he falls for her in a way that is completely new to him, but she is not available, and refuses to be swept off her feet, however much she would enjoy it. Steel has to plan a long game.

There's nothing much to this, no drama, not so much passion. The only dark shadow over the story is Toni's safely-dead husband. But it's charming, and pleasant, and a little bit different. I actually enjoyed it more than I would have expected.

[Yejide Ankobia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story

I read it in a few hours so it held my attention. However, there wasn't enough of a payoff towards the end. Everything wrapped up too quickly and we never get to experience the physical relationship consummated in real time despite the heart between them only as a mention in the prologue. Sort of left the 'romance' out if the story.

[Emma Shortt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, engaging romance.

[Leyns · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay

It had quite an old fashioned feel to it and unfortunately it was a little boring. I had to make myself finish it.

[Twist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet book. Toni has had a hard time of it, but she is working to make things better. She is afraid of herself, and her instincts because she trusted them before, and it landed her in a mess.Steel is a man who knows what he wants, and he doesn't want a wife. That is until he meets Toni. Now if he could just convince her.This is basically a straight up romance. No intrigue or jealous ex, just a romance. I appreciated that Steel took his time getting to know Toni, to try to reassure her that he was serious, but we kinda skipped over 6 months. I would have appreciated getting glimpses, at least, of them interacting.Overall, it was a good story.